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Are Influencers the Future of Creative Directors?

Take care not to confuse ‘reach’ with ‘expertise’ because shoppers certainly don’t.

Are Influencers the Future of Creative Directors?

When it comes to disruption, one of the biggest shifts in the industry is how brands’ Creative Directors have expanded into the Influencer world, but the same Influencers want to extend into the world of creative direction.

Whether it is the ‘Love Island’ contestant Molly-Mae Hague taking on the role of Creative Director for fast fashion brand – ‘Pretty Little Thing’, Beyonce’s collaboration with sports brand Adidas, or luxury e-commerce company FWRD signing up Kendall Jenner as its new Creative Director, brands are suddenly awash with a new wave of creative inflow.

A few days after Kendall took this post to her Instagram, fashion blogs and and magazines were talking about it. WWD titled their article, ‘Sorry Celebrity Creative Directors are going nowhere‘. This shows the nature of how people felt about it.

But millions of followers do not necessarily equate to a Designer or a Creative Director’s credentials. Brands want these appointments to have a positive commercial impact, but consumers aren’t automatically swayed by the star factor – especially if they don’t appear to have any relevant qualifications beyond fame for this appointed role.

While Influencers may understand the market more than many people working in the industry right now, these creative director appointments by brands function predominantly as a PR stunt. As Kanye West pointed that out back in 2013 when Lady Gaga became Creative Director of camera company – Polaroid, he said, “I like some of the Gaga songs, what the hell does she know about cameras?”

Influencers bring a new level of brand engagement to a brands’ Marketing Mix, as well as the personal and close touch that social media is so good at. But they must take care not to conflate reach with expertise because shoppers certainly don’t.

It may just be an issue of job titles or station, but perhaps it is time for brands to be a little more cautius of mixing roles rather than creating headlines. As for Influencers to realise what brands need them for – and give their best as it, as Influencer Marketing is nothing but as asset.

An interesting comment made by Mony Helal, an exclusive Influencer with ITP Live on this matter is, “Before there were bloggers, Instagrammers, YouTubers or social media “stars”, there were MODELS. Dont forget ha.”

If you enjoyed this Op-Ed, make sure to follow @itp.live where we discuss such topics, and many more.